Steam engine



No. almeja. Patented 1an. s, |899.

.1. B. nHoDEs.

STEAM ENGINE.

(Application med oct. 11, 1897.)

www

(No Model.)

a/f' M {@a comparatively direct and free.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAY B. RHODES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK C. AUSTIN, OF SAME PLACE.

sTEAM-E'INGINE.

SPECIFICATION form-ing part of Letters Patent No. 616,973, dated January a, 1899.

Application flled OCtObi l1, 1897. Serial No. 654,812.` (No model.)

To all whom, it' may con/cern:

Be it known that I, JAY B. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steam or other Motive-Fluid Actuated Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam and other motive-Huid actuated engines particularly adapted for pumps, but capable of efficient service in other connections.

Prominent objects of my invention are to avoid shocks commonly incident to the initial and terminal movements of the piston, and thereby avoid injury tothe check-valves of a pump or other devices which may be subject to the action of the piston, to provide improved arrangements for supply and eX- haust with relation to the piston and the valve, to provide simple and effective means for cushioning the valve, to secure free and comparatively direct exhaust from the pistoncylinder, and to provide certain novel and improved details serving to increase the general efficiency of steam or other motive-fluid actuated engines.

In a steam or other motive-tl uid engine embodying the various matters of my improvement the piston-cylinder has its middle portion provided with inlet and outlet exhaustports which are in communication with a space o1' chamber formed within the piston-V cylinder by recessing or diametricallycontracting the piston between its end portions. The piston-cylinder is also provided with end portsadapted for alternate supply and exhaust and arranged to extend toward and terminate suitably near its middle inlet exhaust-port, whereby a valve which controls the supply and exhaust may place the middle inlet exhaust-port of the piston-cylinder alternately in communication with one and the other of the said end ports. By this simple arrangement the exhaust from the end ports of the piston-cylinder can pass into a comparatively large chamber Within the piston-cylinder and thence out through a port in the latter. The exhaust will therefore be The piston has its end portions provided with recesses, preferably annular, and having small reliefports which open at the ends of the piston. When the piston is at either end portion of its stroke, the recess of its advance end portion will register with one of the end ports in the piston-cylinder, and hence the piston will be steam or fluid cushioned, the only escape for the steam or other motive fluid being by way of the relief-port at such end of the piston. Also to start the piston on its reverse stroke the supply in order to get between an end Wall of the piston-cylinder and an end of the piston adjacent thereto must primarily pass through the relief-port at such end of the piston. In this Way all lshocks incident to the initial and terminal movements of the piston are avoided. rlhe piston-cylinder is also provided with obliquely-arran ged supply and exhaust ports for the valve. These ports lead from opposite end portions of the valve-chamber in directionsto cross one another and open within the piston-cylinder respectively at opposite sides of its middle inlet exhaust-port, the location of their terminals within the piston- Ycylinder' being such that when the piston is at either endof its stroke one of such ports will communicate with the middle recess or exhaust-chamber in the piston, so as to exhaust from one end ofthe valve-chamber, while the other one of such ports will communicate With one of the end recesses in the piston, and thereby supply the opposite end portion of the valve-chamber with steam or other motive-fluid supply let into said end recess of the piston from the piston-cylinder by way of the relief-port at such end of the piston. The valve is also cushioned at each end of its stroke, and for such purpose the inner wall of its chamber is provided with reliefgrooves somewhat wider than end ianges or heads of the valve, whereby just before the valve completes its stroke, either way, motive fluid admitted into the middle portion of the valve-chamber will pass around the advance end of the piston, so as to provide acushion between such end of the piston and the adjacent end of the valve-chamber.

As a further simplified arrangement, the

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piston-cylinder is provided with an externally-flat valve-seat, and the valve-casing is provided with a slot through which the seating portion of the valve is arranged to extend, so as to properly contact with the flat valveseat.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in part elevation and part vertical section a steam or other motive-fluid engine embodying my invention and employed in connection with a pump, the valve of the engine being in elevation with the exception of its middle seating portion, which latter is partially broken away, so as to expose its port 7. This view also illustrates, partly in section, but mainly in elevation, the bed-support and casing ot' a pump. Fig. 2 is a section on line in Fig. 1.

The piston-cylinder A is ported for supply and exhaust of steam or other motive lluid employed for operating the piston B, and the valve-casing C, which is arranged external to and preferably upon the piston-cylinder, is adapted to provide a suitable valve-chamber l for a reciprocating steam or other motivefluid actuated valve D, adapted to control the supply and exhaust to and from the pistoncylinder.

Live steam or other motive fluid is primarily admitted to the valve-chamber by Way of an inlet-port arranged at the middle of such chamber, (for example, by a supply-pipe 2, arranged to connect with the valve-chamber at a point midway of the ends of the latter,) and is ultimately exhausted through a port or duct 3, arranged to lead from a point midway of the ends of the chamber Within the piston-cylinder.

The valve comprises a spool or flanged spindle provided with annular end flanges ,titted to work within the valve-chamber, and further provided with a llat-faced seating portion 5, arranged to reciprocate upon a corresponding seat and positioned between and somewhat back from the end flanges fi, so as to leave annular spaces surrounding the reduced body or spindle portions 6 between the middle flat-faced seating portion and the end flanges of the valve. The flat face of the middle portion of the valve is recessed, so as to provide it with a port 7, arranged for cooperation with certain ports of the pistoncylinder, and as a matter of further improvement the middle flat-faced seating portion of the valve is made independent of the spindle or body portion,whereby it can automatically take up wear. Thus, for example, the middle portion 5 of the valve may consist of a block or casting, having in its llat under side the portor chamber 7 and having its top side concaved to receive an enlarged middle portion 8 of the valve spindle or body, and the latter may have a couple of flanges 9,arran ged, respectively,at opposite ends of its middle portion 8 and serving to provide abutments which engage opposite ends of the flat-faced valve portion 5, and thereby cause the latter to move in unison with the valve body or spind1e. Vith such arrangement an oblique slot or opening D can be made through the bottom side of the valve-casing, and the top side of the piston-cylinder can be provided with a flat valve-seat. The opening 9 is in such ease of a Width suitable to permit it to receive the lower part of the Hat-faced seating portion 5 of the valve, whereby said portion of the valve can simply drop through such opening to an extent to permit its recessed flat under side to bear upon the flat valveseat on the piston-cylinder. In this way the valve-chamber can be made cylindric from end to end, since the middle flat-faced seating portion 5 of the valve extends through a slot or opening in the wall of the valve-chamber and rests upon a flat valve-seat external to the valve-chamber and conveniently formed upon the top side of the piston cylinder. With such arrangement the weight of the middle portion 5 of the valve will tend to keep it seated, and this will be supplemented by steam-pressurev Within the valve-chamber.

The piston-cylinder is provided with end ducts or ports 10 and l1, adapted for alternate service as supply and exhaust ports and arranged to extend from opposite portions of the piston-chamber and connect with the valve-chamber through opening 9 at points adjacent to, but at opposite sides of, the middle of said valve-chamber. The piston-cylinder is also provided with a short inlet exhaust-port 12, arranged intermediate of its ends and located between the upper terminals of the ports 10 and 11, by which arrangement the three ports 10, 11, and 12 all have outer terminals opening laterally through the middle portion of the piston-cylinder. The piston-cylinder is also provided with a couple of small obliquely-arranged ports or ducts 13 and 14E, arranged for establishing communication between end portions of the valvechamber and the middle portion ot' the piston-chamber. These ports cross one an other, as illustrated, whereby port let, shown connecting with an end portion of the valvechamber at the right, extends to and communicates with the pistou-chamber at the left of the centrally-arranged exhaust-port 12, the arrangement of port 13 being the con verse of the foregoing.

The piston is recessed or diametrically contracted between its end portions, thereby providing between the Walls of such recess and the inner wall of the piston-cylinder a chamber which is at all times in communication with ports 12 and 3 and which therefore constitutes an exhaust-chamber into which the exhaust is admitted by the middle inlet exhaust-port 12 and from which the exhaust is,

discharged by Way of port 3.

Each end portion of the piston is provided with a recess which is preferably annular. These end recesses, as they may be termed,

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of the piston are arranged so that when the piston is at either end of its stroke one of such recesses will be in communication with one of the ports and 11, while the remaining one of such end recesses of the piston will be in communication with one of the ports 13 and 14, an illustration of this being afforded by Fig. 1. Each end recess of the piston is also provided with a small relief-port 17, which extends to and opens through the next adjacent end of the piston. Where these end recesses ofthe piston are annular and where the middle portion of the piston is diametrically reduced to provide an annular middle exhaust-chamber, as illustrated, the piston will have a pair of annular flanges 15 and 16 arranged at each of its ends and disposed so as to provide the piston with an annular end recess between each pair of flanges and also provide it with a relatively larger annular recess or chamber between the two pairs of such flanges.

The shift of the valve serves to bring its port 7 into position to connect the short middle inlet exhaust-port 12 of the piston-cylinder with one of the piston-cylinder ports 10 and 11 and also tov uncover the other one of said ports 10 and 11, so as to place it in open communication with the portion of the valvechamber between the end flanges 4 4 of the valve, whereby the exhaust from one end portion of the piston-cylinder can take place through one of the ports 10 and 11 into the middle exhaust space or. recess between flanges 15 of the piston and thence out through exhaust-port 3, while at the same time live steam or other motive fluid entering the middle portion of the valve-chamber through its port or pipe 2 can pass from the latter into one end of the piston-cylinder by way of one of the ports 10 and 11, according to the position of the valve. In Fig. 1 the valve is at the right, and hence the exhaust has taken place through ports 11, 7, and 12 into the middle exhaust recess or chamber and thence out through port 3, while the admission of live steam which has served to drive the piston to the right has taken place through port 10.

The ports 13 and 14 serve to alternately supply steam from the piston-cylinder to opposite ends of the valve-chamber for the purpose of operating the valve and also to exhaust from such end portions of the valvechamber into the annular middle space or chamber between the back or inner flanges 15 of the piston. Thus at each end of a stroke on the part of the piston one of the ports 13 and 14 will be in communication with one of the end recesses between a pair.

of relatively adjacent flanges 15 and 16 o1" the piston, and hence steam entering such space by way of one of therelief-ports 17 of the piston will pass to one end of the valve-chamber. When the piston and valve are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, the steam from the end portion of' the piston-cylinder at the left of the piston will pass through port 17l at the left into the annular space between the two flanges at such end of the piston and thence through port 14 into the end portion of the valve-chamber atthe right of.

the valve, and thereby cause the valve to shift to the left for the purpose of reversing the stroke of the piston.

When' one of the obliquely-arranged ports 13 and 14 is supplying one end portion of the valve-chamber, the Vremaining one of such ports serves to exhaust from the opposite end portion of the valve-chamber into the annular middle exhaust-space between the two flanges 15 of the piston. For example, when the piston and valve are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1 steam from the portion of the piston-cylinder at the left will pass into port 17 in the extreme left-hand end of the piston, thence into the annular end space in thepiston next adjacent to its said end, and thence into the end portion of the valvechamber at the right of the valve, by way of Yport 14, while on the other hand exhaust from the end portion of the valve-chamber at the left of the valve will take place through port 13 into the middle exhaust -space between flanges 15 of the piston and thence out through port 3. In this way the annular end spaces formed in theend portions of the piston and provided with ports 17 alternately cooperate with one and the other of-ports 13 and 14 in supplying the end portionsof the valve-chamber for the purpose of operating the valve, and that such annular end recesses in the piston also alternately cooperate with one and the other of ports 10 and 11 for the purpose of slowly exhausting such portion of the steam or other motive fluid as may be used as a cushion, and also for admitting steam or motive fluid between an end wall of the piston-cylinder and adjacent end of the piston for the purpose of starting the latter on its stroke. It will be observed that when the piston is at either end of its stroke one of its annular end recesses will be in communication with one of the ports 13 and 14 while its opposite corresponding annular end recess will be in communication with one of the ports 10 and 11 and that at such juncture the IOO IIO

which is ahead, will, after passing one of the 1 ISO 17 through said llange and thence through the annular space back of this flange into one of the ports 10 and 11. As shown in Fig. l, steam between the extreme end of the piston at the right is understood to have passed through port 17 at the right-hand end of the piston, thence into the annular space back of and next adjacent to such port, and thence through 4ports l1, 7, and 12 into the space between flanges 15 of the piston. It Will also be seen that when the piston is at one end of its stroke live steam can at the start get back of the piston only by Way of one of the relief-ports 17. Assuming the valve shown in Fig. l to have shifted to the left, so as to connect ports 12 and 13 for the exhaust, from the .left-hand end of the piston-cylinder, live steam from port 11 must first pass into the annular space in register With such port and thence pass through the port 17, connected with such annular space, in order to get between the right-hand end of the piston-cylinder and the corresponding end of the piston. Of course as soon as the piston has moved to the left to an extent to cause its extreme end flange at the right to pass port 11 the latter can then discharge directly into the space between such iiange and the opposite end of the cylinder.

In order to permit the valve to be adjusted or manipulated in the event of either the valve or the piston sticking in their respective chambers, I provide each end of the valve-casing with a push-rod E, arranged to extend and Work through a stuffing-box F and preferably having a flat head or flange 1S on its inner end. These `flat heads are arranged Within the valve-chamber and normally abut against the end Walls thereof. Should occasion require, either of these push-rods, which are independent of the valve, can be pushed in toward the latter, so as to start it up or shiftit, as needed. To prevent undue forcible impact between the valve and the inner ends of these push-rods, I provide the valve-chamber With relief grooves or recesses 19 arranged near its ends and made Wider than the thickness of the end lian ges 4: of the valve, in which Way When the valve is nearly at the end of its stroke suilicient steam from the middle portion of the valve-chamber Will pass the ad- Vancing end of the valve by Way of one of the relief-grooves 19 to provide a cushion between such end of the piston and the next adjacent end Wall of the valve-chamber.

XVhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a steam or othermotive-iiuid actuated engine, the piston-cylinder provided With suitable supply and exhaust ports; the piston recessed to provide an exhaust space or chamber through which the exhaust from the said piston-cylinder is discharged, and a cutoif valve by which the exhaust from the said piston-cylinder is admitted to the said exhaust space or chamber in the piston, substantially as described.

2. In a steam or other motive-fluid actuated en gine,the piston-cylinder provided with suitable supply and exhaust ports; a motive-fluid actuated cut-off valve, and a piston recessed to provide an exhaust-space through which the exhaust from both the valve and piston chambers vis exhausted, substantially as described.

3. In a steam or other motive-duid actuated engine, the piston recessed to provide an exhaust chamber; the piston cylinder having inlet and outlet exhaust-ports communicating with said exhaust-chamber and having ports for supplying and exhausting from its end portions; and a steam or other motive-duid actuated valve by which the inlet exhaustport of the piston-cylinder is alternately connected with one and the other of the said end ports; theexhaust from the piston-cylinder being delivered to the exhaust-chamber in the piston and also discharged therefrom, substantially as described.

4. In asteam or other motive-fluid actuated engine, the piston having recesses formed in its end portions and provided with ports leading to and through the ends of the piston, and the piston-cylinder having end ports adapted for su pplyand exhaust and arranged to alternately communicate With one and the other of the end recesses in the piston, substantially as described.

5. In a steam or other motive-liuid actuated engine, the piston having ported recesses in its end portions, and an intervening recess forminga middle exhaust-chamber; the piston-cylinder having end ports adapted for alternate supply and exhaust and alternately in communication with one and the other of the end recesses in the piston, and also having inlet and outlet exhaust-ports in communication With the middle exhaust chamber; a valvechamber having supply and exhaust ports alternately supplied from the piston -cylinder by Way of one of the end recesses in the piston, and exhausting into the middle exhaust space or chamber in the piston; and a suitable valve for alternately connecting the inlet exhaust-port of the middle exhaust-chamber with one and the other of the end ports of the piston-cylinder, substantially as described.

G. The piston-cylinder provided externally with a flat valve-seat; the valve-casing arranged upon the piston-cylinder and having an opening over the flat valve-seat; and the valve having an independent seating portion extending through the opening in the valvecasing and seating upon the iiat seat on the piston-cylinder, substantially as described.

7. In an engine of the class set forth, the piston provided with two pairs of end lian ges arranged to provide annular end spaces or recesses and a relatively large middle space, and having ports 17 through its extreme end flanges; the piston cylinder provided with middle ports 12 and 3 communicating With the middle recess in the piston, and having end IOO ports 10 and 11 leading from its end portions actuated Valve adapted for alternately oonto points at opposite sides of the port 12; the neoting port 12 with one and the other of ports 1o Valve-chamber arranged external to the ps- 10 and 11, substantially as described. ton-cylinder and adapted for communication T With ports 10 and 11, and having end ports 13 JAX B RHODES' and 14 crossing one another and opening into Witnesses: the piston Cylinder at opposite sides of the MARGARET M. VAGNER, port 12; and a steam o1l other-1notiveluid ARTHUR F. DURAND. 

